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Sara's Reviews > The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights
The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights
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A Study in Black and White - 3 stars. Suitably atmospheric and mildly intriguing, the main character is cold and mean, which goes against the built up tension. I would have liked this to be a little longer, if only to get more history of the house, however I liked the inclusion of chess.
Thwaite's Tenant - 3 stars. Another story etched in atmosphere, twinning cold wintery nights with an ominous house. Again, I wasn't keen on the unpleasant characters and thought the overall malevolence a little lacking. I liked the overall idea though.
The Eel Singers - 3 stars. I'm seeing a pattern emerging. My understanding is that this features characters from Natasha Pulley's earlier work, and there's a lot of backstory alluded to here with some really interesting individuals - especially Six. That said, the story is incredibly slow paced given its length. In fact it's only really the last 20 pages that kicked this up a gear. I liked the creepy inhabitants, but there just wasn't enough of them, or any resolution to the story to keep me satisfied.
Lily Wilt - 3.5 stars. An infatuated photographer brings a beautiful dead girl back to life, with some unpleasant consequences. This has been the most engaging story I've read so far, but also the one with the most plot holes. Lily is certainly mysterious, but I don't think that's such a good thing. We know nothing of her life, or the cause of her death.
The Chillingham Chair - 4 stars. A haunted wheelchair and a family with lots of secrets. Immediately creepy, the characters are all highly entertaining and the plot is fast paced and intriguing. It ends pretty abruptly however, and it's all a bit obvious but so far this is the saving grace of this anthology. Laura Purcell really thrives on making inanimate objects terrifying.
The Hanging of the Greens - 3 stars. A man comes to a church meeting seeking forgiveness, and leaves a lasting impression on a parishioner. I liked the set up for this one, it's very Christmassy and frosty. You can almost smell the resin on the wreaths. However the plot feels very disjointed and doesn't really make much sense.
Confinement - 3.5 stars. A mother in her childbirth confinement is subjected to a haunting from an evil entity. This story made me feel very anxious and unsettled, and it strikes the balance between uncertainty and reality really well. I liked the additional author note too, which added depth to the story. However I found it all a little bit too rushed.
Monster - 2 stars. A man sets out to make a geological discovery that will overshadow his brother's success. I'm still a little confused by the concept of this, and I think the story itself tries to be several things all at once and not really succeeding at any of them. There's a few too many sexual references that feel out of place too.
Thwaite's Tenant - 3 stars. Another story etched in atmosphere, twinning cold wintery nights with an ominous house. Again, I wasn't keen on the unpleasant characters and thought the overall malevolence a little lacking. I liked the overall idea though.
The Eel Singers - 3 stars. I'm seeing a pattern emerging. My understanding is that this features characters from Natasha Pulley's earlier work, and there's a lot of backstory alluded to here with some really interesting individuals - especially Six. That said, the story is incredibly slow paced given its length. In fact it's only really the last 20 pages that kicked this up a gear. I liked the creepy inhabitants, but there just wasn't enough of them, or any resolution to the story to keep me satisfied.
Lily Wilt - 3.5 stars. An infatuated photographer brings a beautiful dead girl back to life, with some unpleasant consequences. This has been the most engaging story I've read so far, but also the one with the most plot holes. Lily is certainly mysterious, but I don't think that's such a good thing. We know nothing of her life, or the cause of her death.
The Chillingham Chair - 4 stars. A haunted wheelchair and a family with lots of secrets. Immediately creepy, the characters are all highly entertaining and the plot is fast paced and intriguing. It ends pretty abruptly however, and it's all a bit obvious but so far this is the saving grace of this anthology. Laura Purcell really thrives on making inanimate objects terrifying.
The Hanging of the Greens - 3 stars. A man comes to a church meeting seeking forgiveness, and leaves a lasting impression on a parishioner. I liked the set up for this one, it's very Christmassy and frosty. You can almost smell the resin on the wreaths. However the plot feels very disjointed and doesn't really make much sense.
Confinement - 3.5 stars. A mother in her childbirth confinement is subjected to a haunting from an evil entity. This story made me feel very anxious and unsettled, and it strikes the balance between uncertainty and reality really well. I liked the additional author note too, which added depth to the story. However I found it all a little bit too rushed.
Monster - 2 stars. A man sets out to make a geological discovery that will overshadow his brother's success. I'm still a little confused by the concept of this, and I think the story itself tries to be several things all at once and not really succeeding at any of them. There's a few too many sexual references that feel out of place too.
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